Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook

William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, PC, ONB, (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964) was an Anglo-Canadian business tycoon, politician, newspaper proprietor and writer who was an influential figure in British society of the first half of the 20th century.

The young Max Aitken had a gift for making money and was a millionaire by 30. His business ambitions quickly exceeded what was then available to him in Canada and he moved to England. There he befriended Bonar Law and with his support won a seat in the House of Commons at the general election held in December 1910. A knighthood followed shortly after. During World War I, he ran the Canadian Records office in London and played a role in the removal of H. H. Asquith as prime minister in 1916. The resulting Tory-led coalition government, with David Lloyd George as prime minister and Bonar Law as Chancellor of the Exchequer, rewarded Aitken with a peerage and, briefly, a Cabinet post as Minister of Information.